Guard for handpieces of dental engines



G. E. TERRANOVA GUARD FOR HANDPIECES OF DEETAL ENGINES Filed Feb. 4 1924-W W I Patented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES GIUSEPPE E. TERRANOVA, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

GUARD FOR HANDPIECES OF DENTAL ENGINES.

Application filed February 4, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, GIUSEPPE E. TERRA- NOVA, a subject of the King ofItaly, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnect cut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Guards forHandpieces of Dental Engines; and I do hereby declare the following,when taken in connection with the accompanying 1. drawings and thecharacters of reference marked thereon, to be a full. clear, and ex actdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of th sapplication, and represent in Fig. 1 a face view of a handpiece fordental engines, showing my improved guard ap plied thereto.

Fig. 2 a side View of the same.

Fig. 3 a plan view of the guard, detached. Fig. 4 an underside view ofthe same.

Fig. 5 a side view of the moistening device, detached.

This invention relates to improvement in guards for handpieces of dentalengines. In using a dental engine with grindingstones orseparating-disks. care must be taken to hold the cheeks or lips out ofrange of the tool, to prevent injury to the patient. The object of thisinvention is to provide a guard adapted to be readily applied to thehandpiece of a dental eng ne and which will act to hold the cheeks orlips away from the teeth, so as not to come in contact with theoperating tool. Furthermore, it is sometimes desirable to apply moisturewith grinding-stones, separating disks, and similar devices, and anotherobject of the inven tion is to provide means for supplying moisture, andthe invention consists in the construction as hereinafter described andparticularly recited in the claim.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a segmental flange 10 around theedge of a flat plate 11, which is provided with an arm Serial No.690,349.

12 connecting it with a clip 13, which is adapted to set over the end 14of an ordinary handpiece 15 of a dental engine, and havingspring-fingers 21 and 22 to grip the shank of the handpiece. The guard10 surrounds a disk-tool 16, which is mounted in the handpece in theusual way. Preferably, the clip, arm, plate and flange will be formedfrom a single piece of metal. To provide moisture for the disk-tool 16,of whatever character it may be, I employ a piece of sponge 17, which isconnected with the male-member 18 of a snap-fastener, and this extendsthrough a perforation 19 in the plate 11 to receive the female-member20, whereby the sponge is firmly clipped to the plate, adjacent to theedge of the disk 16 and in such a convenient way that it may be readilyremoved for renewal, or entirely omitted if it is not required. Theflange 10 forms a perfect guard for the disk 16 and holds the cheeks orlips away from the tool 16, and thus avoids the necessity of constantuse of a mirror or other device to hold the cheeks or lips out of therange of the operating tool.

I claim:

A guard for handpieces of dental engines. comprising a segmental flangeprojecting outward from a plate, means for attaching the same to thehandpiece of a dental engine, one member of a snapfastener mounted onsaid plate and a piece of sponge attached to the other member of asnap-fastener, whereby the piece of sponge may he detachably connectedwith said plate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

GIUSEPPE E. TERRANOVA. Witnesses:

FRANCES PUoELLA, ANTONIO CRIMO.

